It’s only natural for humans to want to share what they are passionate about with the people they love. More than that, people want to share important parts of their lives with their families.
Sharing passions and making a difference reach a middle ground for encouraging the rest of your family to dedicate more time and money towards philanthropic efforts. It can be as simple as motivating a sibling to donate and as complex as raising a philanthropic and aware child.
Begin a Tradition
One of the easiest ways to encourage philanthropy in your family is by creating a tradition. For example, for every event that gifts are exchanged, make sure likewise to send a gift to someone in need. This is an easy habit to pick up and helps children understand the impact of giving back.
Parents can push this concept as far as they desire, though it is beneficial to consider their child’s personality. Would encouraging them to donate portions of their allowance motivate them? Or would it backfire and decrease their opinion of philanthropy down the line? Encouragement can sometimes walk a fine line, but things should go smoothly once that balance has been struck.
Connecting Generosity with Identity
Research has suggested that people are more likely to be generous when it is connected to their identity. In other words, they’re more likely to give back or help out if it is part of who they are.
What does this mean? It means that children are more likely to help do the dishes if they are ‘helpers.’ It means that environmentalists are more likely to spend extra money supporting conservation efforts.
This research opens up another avenue for encouraging philanthropy. On top of simply rewarding the practice – one can also reward and promote the behaviors that would lead to generosity.
Lead By Example
When encouraging friends and family to become more philanthropic, you must lead by example. It’s hard to take a person seriously when they’re not practicing what they preach.
Looking at it another way, children are more likely to pick up habits that they witness quickly. Leading by example can also be more fun, as you can turn a day of volunteering into a whole family event.